The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-11
THE PRESIDENTS PURPOSE.
st. Louis Letter Written with View to Dis
rupting the Grand Army of the Republic.

H. " Boynton in Cincin natl Com M erciaI Gazette.
By far the most important element in the
Presidents letter for Grand Army men and
their millions of friends to consider does not ap-
pear the surface. There is enough which is
apparent to furnish comment for long tinae to
come. But the real purpose of the letter, which
has been made known by the indscreet talk of a
few of the Presidents partsans, is carefully
concealed. In its chief design it is a deli berate
attempt to introduce discord into the Grand
Army of the Republic, in the belief that it can
be broken up demoraliZed to nullify
the soldier element in the next campaign.
The Presidents has been made to believe by
some Grand Army men in government service
who have been exceedingly active in their at
tempts to the organization to help him, that
he could now strike in such way as to stir up
Democratic veterans to protest against such
expressions Of loyal emotions, have had free
currency of late, as to destroy all harmony in
the organization. Some of them go SO far as to
say that he can pursue course which Will in
duce Democratic veterans to withdraw from the
organization and form another under their ex-
elusive control.
This ia the scneme of which the Presidents
st. Louis letters are the proclamation and the
PROFICIENCY. And to this end he shrewdly aimed
both his honeyed words of praise for veterans
and his plain insults to the order as a whole
The scheme is worthy of the minds which
conceived the flag order. and is a worthy sequel
to it, The game is too plain to need more than
a hint to observers. In the flag matter. which
originated at the White House, there was, as
the central purpose, the belief that such an act
would make the South solid in the convention.
No trouble was feared at the polls, but the path
to the con INVENTION did not seem smooth. The
flag order which. according to good
Democratic authority, was regarded as certain
to secure q solid South for denomination.
The necessity for sudden surrender to the
loyal uprising at the North was CALLING The
mutterings in Grand Army quarters over the
St. Louis invitation turned the administration
wrath the flag blunder mainly upon the
Grand Army. The necessity for counteracting
oh diape o1id ifyi inn ho rant
to all in the administration. Hence this DELHI
berate attempt to introduce dlscord into the
Grand Army was conceived and undertaken in
the belief that before the opening Of the next
campaign all harmony among the old veterans
upon the fundamental questions for which they
fought could be destroyed and so much for
tralZed.
This view of the subject was really the second
stage of the consideration which the question re-
ceived at the White House. II is well under
stood here that certain anonymous threatening
letters caused the Presidents decision not to
visit ST. Louis. This being reached. the next
question was to determine in what form the re-
fusal to go could be made to do the greatest
damage to the Grand Army organization before
the public, and at the same time introduce the
most serious Generalization into the body it
self.
The published letters were the result. For
the first time in the history of the Republic
and the world that he did not feel free to visit
of its chief cities lest tho Office he held
should be insulted in his person, and worse than
all that the insult was expected from those who
fought the battles of their country. The letter
in essence is simply that. and. being that. it is
an insult to every post of the Grand Army.
The dizziness that could conceive the flag
order. and which has not yet ceased to wonder
why soldiers were in the least excited over it,
shines. if such dizziness can shine, through every
paragraph of the amazing letters. The same in
ability to com prehend the soldier sentiment ex-
cites the hope that the Grand Army of the Re-
public be shorn Of its strength by his
Vaccinations But what the solid South in
arms fighting bravely and spendidly through
years could not accomplish, President who
seems to be having his first experience in
emotions will hardly bring about.